hersey



SPOFFORD & HERSEY.

Cotton Gin.

Patented Aug. 20, 1867.

phur. wumngum. n. c;

HAM.

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.--12| flf VA WMM ff cuantas srorronn AND CHARLES n. Hausnr, or osToN, MASSA cHUsn'rTs.

Letters .Patent No. 67,923, dated August 20, i867.

'IMPROVEMENT IN correu-crus.

`TOALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

`Be it known that we, CHARLES Src-Freno and CHARLES H. Hausnr, both of Boston, in the county otSuttolkif. and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain 4Improvements in Cotto`n-Gins, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved cotton-gin.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal central section through the same.

Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line :i: of iig. 2.

Figures 44 and 5, details to be referred to.

In the cotton-gin ofthe ordinary construction, a revolving fan, or a revolving or stationary brush, hasbeen employed for removing the cotton, after being ginned, from the feed-rolls. i The brush is objectionable, for the rea-son that it soon becomes clogged, and requires constant cleaning, while the fan occasions much dust; and furthermore, both the revolving brush and fan occupy considerable room, and toss the cotton about so as to mix it in n. confuse l mass, necessitating considerable labor toagain straighten its iibres. To remove `the abovementioned diiiiculties, and to provide a feed-roll which shall possess greater durability than those now in use, is the object of our invention, which consists in a pair of clearing-plates or clearers,H provided with Ateeth or projections, and so connected with the stripping-plate as to insure their simultaneous operation, the strippingplate being braced to the upper clearer, to stiiien the former, and prevent it from being pressed away from the upper feed-roll bythe crowding of the cotton, whereby the liability of the seed being broken and carried throufrh with the cotton is avoided; and our invention also consists in the employment ofspi-ral metal strips, in connectriangular bar or breast-plate against the upper feed-roll.

To enable others skilled in the art tounderstand and use our invention, we-will proceed to describe the manner in which we have carried it ont. l

` In the said drawings, A is the framework, in suitable bearings, in which revolves the driving-shaft B, provided at one end with a drum, C, over which passes the endless belt D, which drives the wheel E, secured to one Y en d of a shaft, F, which has its bearings in boxes a, which rest within recesses b cut in the top of the framework. The shaft F `is covered with a roll, Gr of rubber or other suitable elastic material, upon whichA rests another roll, H, of corresponding s ize, and of any suitable material having a gritty substance, such as emery, sand, &c., incorporated 'and vulcanized therewith. 'lhe object of employing such a feed-roll is twofold, viz, it presents a r-oughcncd surface, which is better adapted for taking hold ofthe cotton, and is also more durable, as it is of a nature better adapted to stand constant wear than the ordinaryrsmooth rubber roll. The shaft I of the roll H has its hearings in boxes c, which slide up and down within the recesses Ii of the framework. Over the top of" these recesses b are fastened the plates K, through which pass screws (Z, the lower ends of which bear upon the boxes e, by which means the pressure of the roll H upon the roll G is regulated as required; and the two rolls being in contact with each other, the motion of thel former is communicated tothe latter. L is a bar or breastbeam, of a triangular form, as `seen in section, iig. 3, which extends longitudinally in front of the rolls G H, and is kept in contact with each of' their surfaces at one point only, `as at 6, to insure the fibres being seized and held between the bnr and roll while the, comb or stripper (presently to b'e described) is brought down uponi the portion of the cotton containing the seed, thus avoiding-unnecessary friction and consequent heating of the rolls, incident to machines in which the wholeof the inner surface of the breast-beam comes in contact with the peripheries of the rolls. The mechanism which weA employ for regulating` the pressure of the breast-beam against the feed-rolis will now be explained. An apron, M, for conducting and guiding the seed or other impurities out 'of the machine, is riveted at e to the lowerend of the breast-beam `L, which is provided with a groove or channel, f, running longtudinallyalong its centre. Within this groove, and in contact with the breast-beam L, is placed one end of a row of horizontal pins or bars, 7, at suitable intervals apart, which form a screen or grating, N, through which the seed, the., are allowed to fall upon the apron M. The other ends of these pins 7, composing the grating N, are secured within a horizontal bar, 0,' which extendslongitudinally ncrossthe framework, and rests upon a projecting portion of the same, the bar O being confined in place thereon hy screwsg passing through slots (seen dotted, iig. 3) in the bar, by which.'arrangement it may be moved forward a little in the direct-ion of the arrow 8 by operating the screws 7L, thus causing V the breast-beam to bear on the rolls at the points 6 with the degree of pressure required. -On each side of the framework at z' are secured metal strips or guideplates P, within which the bifurcations c l of a yoke, Q, are made to travel up and downby means of rods or pitmen R, the upper ends of which are connected by studs or pins m to the lower end of the yoke,l the lower ends of thefpitmen being connected to cranksS on the driving-shaft B. To the upper ends of the bifurcations c is'. screwed a flat plate, which serves as a comb er stripper, T, which is so adjusted that when vibrating up and down in common with the yoke Q, it is kept within a short distance ofthe outer face of the breast-beam L, in order to properly perform the operation of removing the seed, Ste.I U V are serrated or toothed plates, termed clearers, which are screwed at op to thevbifurcations Z, and are vibrated up and down with the yoke, close to the surfaces of the rolls G H, for the purpose of removing the ginned cotton therefrom, which oce is ordinarily performed by the revolving fan or brush. As the stripper T and clearers U V are all 'connected to the yoke they are operated simultaneously. The teeth of the upper clearer U when going down, and those of the lower clearer V when coming up, engage with and remove the cotton from the rolls, while both clearers V, when vibrated in the directions contrary to those 'above mentioned, pass freely by the rolls without co'ming in contact with them. r is a brace, the ends of which are riveted tothe strippei` T at s, while-its centre is secured to the upper clearer U by a screw-bolt, t, and nuts u, the opposite end of the bolt being secured by nuts w to the stripper T, which is thus stifcned and kept in place to prevent the entrance of seed, Ste., which would otherwise happen if the stripper were sprung back by the crowding of the cotton. Where great strength and durability are required, wire or metal strips may be employed instead of elnery, sand, duc., in theA construction of the upper roll G. In fig. 4 the shaft' W is provided with a. groove extending spirallyoround it, in which is soldered or otherwise secured the back of a strip, y, composed of short pieces of wire or metal, which areth'us' arranged radially on the shaft. AIn fig. 5, circular sections of wire gauze ornetting Xare secured to the shaft Y at suitable intervals apart, and the rubber or other elastic material is afterward filled between and around them, and vulcanized in a'well-known manner. Thevclearers U V may, if desired, be made in one piece, instead of as herein shown and described, and the method of bracing the stripper may be changed without departing from the spirit of our invention. It is evident that where one feed-roll only is employed, but one clearer is required.

Operation.

The receptacle containing the'cotton to be ginncd being properly connected with the apparatus, power is applied to the driving-shaft B, and the rolls G H, stripper T, and clearers U V set in motion. The stripper being raised, the fibres ofthe cotton are taken down by the revolution ofthe feed-roll H, and seized between its roughened surface and the portieri G of the triangular breast-bcam L in contact'therewith. The stripper now descending, pushes the seed and dirt down from the upper edge of the breast-beam L upon the grating N, through which they fall on to the apron M, the fibres thus separated being conducted through the rolls, from which they are removed by the clearers U V, the vibrations of which are performed simultaneously with those of the stripper T. I

. i p Claim.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The clearers U V, substantially as and for the purpose described. y

2. We also claim the yoke Q or its equivalent, for connecting the clearers U V and stripper T, to secure their simultaneous action, substantially as set forth.

3. We also claim bracing the stripper T to the upper clearer U, to stiifenand retain the former in place, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. We also claim the breast-beam L, with its groove-f and apron M, in combination with the grating N, consisting ofthe slotted bar O and pins 7, operated by screws L or otherwise, for regulating the pressure of the breast-beam against the periphery of. the upper feed-roll H, substantially as described.

5. We also claim the upper feed-roll H, constructed substantially as describedand for the purpose set forth.

6. We also claim a feed-roll, H, in which spiral metallic stripsy are employed, as and for the purpose set forth.

CHAS. SPOFFORD,

CHAS. H. HERSEY.

Witnesses.:

N. W. Srmnns, P. E. Tnsenmmcnun. 

